Theatre of Shame

Oliver Holt has a wonderful bit of spleen-venting in today's Mirror:

Let's get one thing straight before we go on: Ferdinand failed to take a routine drug test administered by UK Sport one day last month. End of story.

So he took it 36 hours later and it was clear. So what? It is an insult to the intelligence to pretend that this makes everything all right. That's the whole point about a drugs test. You do it on the spot, before you've had the opportunity to flush offending substances out of your system. You do it when they want you to do it, not when you want to do it.

Of course we all want to presume Rio is innocent because no one would wish this on him. Of course we understand the agonies his United team- mates are going through because of his ordeal.

But what would you say if a Chinese swimmer drove off at high speed one day when the testers came calling? Would you presume her innocence, would you say she was obviously preoccupied about doing the laundry, or would you think she had something to hide?

Would you think that if the drugs testers dropped in on Paula Radcliffe she'd tell them she's just nipping out to Tesco, then she and the hubby are going to the movies and would it be okay if they do the drug thing tomorrow?

The whole thing's worth a read, as is Holt's column most weeks.